Written by

Fiona Soltes
| For The Tennessean

The power of good theater is that it gets people talking. The power of great theater, however, is that it gets people talking about more than just the show.

It's something Paul Cook has been experiencing of late, noting that a mention of Circle Players' upcoming production of "Next to Normal" often meets with freely offered personal stories. The piece, a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning rock musical about the effects of mental illness on a family, somehow creates a safe space to share, to disclose, to unburden.